Police: Anti-American demos in Afghanistan cities

Published: February 22, 2012 8:26AM

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Police say anti-American demonstrations are under way on the outskirts of the Afghan capital and in another city over an incident that the U.S. says was inadvertent burning of Muslim holy books at a military base.

Kabul provincial police spokesman Ashmatullah Stanekzai says hundreds of people are gathering on Wednesday outside the Camp Phoenix base on the main highway linking Kabul with the eastern Jalalabad city, closing the main trade route.

Police in Jalalabad say thousands are gathering in parts of the city to demonstrate.

The U.S. apologized Tuesday for the burning of books, including Qurans, that had been pulled from the shelves of a detention center library adjoining Bagram air base because they contained extremist messages or inscriptions.